Home » Music » Song of the Day
Water Pistols at Dawn by Ernesto Cervini
From the album
Album Title: Water Pistols at Dawn
Label: TPR Recordings
Released: 2026
Listen
Sign in to view listen count
About the Album
After more than two decades leading the original Ernesto Cervini Quartet, drummer, composer and bandleader Ernesto Cervini opens a new chapter with Water Pistols at Dawn, the recording debut of a new quartet featuring Kae Murphy on trumpet, Andrew Marzotto on guitar and Mark Godfrey on bass.
“I figured it was time to see what some of the younger musicians on the Toronto scene were up to, and I think I hit the jackpot with this combination,” Cervini says. “They challenged me, inspired me, and made these compositions better than I ever imagined they could be.”
Drawing inspiration from artists including Radiohead, The Smile, Avishai Cohen, Nir Felder, The Bad Plus and Pat Metheny, the quartet moves freely between lyrical melodies, intricate grooves, improvisation and raw energy. The six-track album features three Cervini originals — Waiting for a Win, Water Pistols at Dawn and A Resonant Space — alongside distinctive new arrangements of Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Serenade, Thelonious Monk’s Evidence and The Smile’s Free in the Knowledge.
Written specifically for this new group, the title track unexpectedly took on what Cervini describes as a “cowboy feel.” Its working title eventually became “Pistols at Dawn,” but Cervini’s dislike of guns sent it in a more playful direction: Water Pistols at Dawn, evoking memories of long summer days and water-gun battles at his parents’ cottage. The title suits an album that is sophisticated without taking itself too seriously — adventurous, melodic and driven by the chemistry of four musicians discovering what they can create together.
Water Pistols at Dawn will be released October 30, 2026 on TPR Records.
Tracks
Waiting for a Win; Water Pistols at Dawn; Moonlight Serenade; A Resonant Space; Evidence; Free in the Knowledge
Personnel
Reviews
- Water Pistols at Dawn by Pierre Giroux
Date featured
February 5, 2027
This song appears by permission of the contributing artist and/or record company. It is for personal use only; no other rights are granted or implied.
